Everything you ever wanted to know about DIY lighting, but were afraid to ask

[bigredspecial]

Good catch; I shouldn't have mentioned Negative, especially since this is AC and there technically is no positive/negative anyway; just goes to show that I'm more of a DC guy than AC

In my defense though, I did say to put the switch on the small plug, just as you have suggested. My only mistake was calling it negative.

 

[ZooKeeper]

Not sure if anyone is still reading this thread or not; I'm a new member of this forum and I always check out a forums DIY posts. Thought I'd post a couple of sources for the lamp sockets in case you live in the middle of no-where, or the local hardware store doesn't carry much in the way of lamp fixtures.

Source URL: Double Lamp Sockets
part number: (LMP) 425-72PLC16 double socket, hole mount $3 ea
part number: (LMP) 567-201-12 single socket, surface mount $1 ea

If you are going CF because you already have the tubes:

Source URL: Compact Fluorescent : Light Bulbs at Bulbman.
Compact Fluorescent sockets. Not cheap when compared to 1st source however this web site has bulbs out the waahzoo, it might be the better choice for those who perfer 1 stop shopping.

FOr those who need a light box and don't wanna fool around with individual pieces
http://www.apexelectronic.com/ search for light box. 20.00. very cool.

Source URL: http://www.pfolighting.com/ProductList-41-0-Fulham.Electronic.html

By shopping around, you can purchase the following items for a substanial savings over the bulbman.com web site. These are the ballast units for fluorescent bulbs.

WH3-120-L Fulham
WH5-120-L Fulham

Bulbman does have the 4 pin in-line sockets common on CF tubes. I purchased a complete 24inch light for 50.00 with new bulbs in it. The ballast wires ended in individual pin sockets which in my mind is just sloppy. I'll be replacing those with the sockets.

Well, hope this helps those who are wanting to spend less on lights, or who need custom lighting for their tanks.


Ed

 

[rowifi]

Voltage DOES matter

I feel I need to comment on the statement about the cable / wire used for the lighting.
Speaker cable is inadequate! It may LOOK ok and it may WORK.

The Speaker cable is probably more than adequate to handle the CURRENT taken by the lamps, this is because the wire itself is fairly thick ( large diameter ) has a low resistance and wont heat up under the low current conditions here.

The VOLTAGE is another matter. The insulation type used on cables determines what voltages it can be used with. This is because higher voltages will break through thin and inadequate insulation. It MAY look ok - but do check the manufacturers specification. Speaker cable is NOT mains cable - certainly here in the UK where the voltage is higher than the US.

Also there is the issue of 'double insulation'. If a person can touch a cable, or wire, ( yes - the insulation bit ) then the law requires there to be TWO layers of insulation, one to provide the 'electrical isolation' the next to provide 'supplementary insulation' to protect people against insulation failure.
( Double jeopardy - on the basis that it is unlikely that TWO failures will occur )

Historically, the metal case of a product would be earthed to protect us, but nowadays it is more common to have a non earthed 'belt and braces' approach, not relying on an Earth Shield. So - make sure you know what you are doing!!

Dont use speaker wire.
Use Mains rated cable.
Sleeve all single cores with an additional layer of insulation.

 

[dollsteak]

those white things that you have your fluro tube on.... can u get those somewhere?

 

[aakaakaak]

Hi, I'm a network security engineer with a CISSP and a BS in Internetworking Technologies. I know that black and white are not specific colors, but one is the absence of color and the other is the collection of all colors.
(Okay, so I understand a bit more than that. I've done my fair share of ceiling fans and such.)

Instead of using an old hood (which I don't have) I'm going to try it with a different project I saw using a white plastic rain gutter. Those waterproof/water-resistant fixtures look rather unruly, and are not the cheapest thing out there. You can get non-waterproof for about 2.50, and will mount much easier. Wish me luck with the liberal use of electrical tape!

(Yes, I know this is technically a resurection post. However, it's a sticky, so *DRUMMER* )

 

[OrangeCones]

I built two in rain gutters like you are going to do. Each houses a 55watt CF bulb. I bought paint to paint them black, but never got around to it. I have legs to bring them up off the tanks too, but they function just fine on the glass tops.

 

[aakaakaak]

Good to know it works!

I was planning on using all four of these in the 6500k variety:
Shop SYLVANIA 100-Watt Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs at Lowes.com

Will wiring all four together smoke anything (or melt the plastic) do you think?

 

[OrangeCones]

Sorry, aakaakaak, didn't see this until today. The bulb I used is a 22" CFL bulb over the 24" wide tanks (15 and 20gallon high tanks). I have 55watts in each. My 'guts' are different than the plan in this DIY, but I did use the rain gutter shell. They look quite nice, actually!

As far as wiring all those bulbs together, I do not know. I have the ballast mounted on the back of the gutter as there was no room for it inside it.

http://www.ahsupply.com/36-55w.htm

 

[aakaakaak]

I used the rain gutter shell with caps, four non-water proof outlets (double outlets are impossible to find), 8 screws, black electrical tape and two cheap extension cords. One of the cords was lucky enough to have a built-in on/off switch.

I started it with 4x26w screw-in CFLs at 6500k, but ended up switching it to 2x26W 6500k on each end, and 2x10W 50/50 bulbs. It was causing too much heat otherwise.

Now I need CO2 in both tanks. >.<

 

[Kitty_Kitsch]

One saying my brother likes when soldering, "Green is ground the world around"